Jack Farmer of Old Tame, Denshaw born in 1908 also known as ‘Denshaw Jack’ or ‘Hell Fire Jack’. Operated a taxi based in Grains Bar for a while in the 1920s and then became a driver for J. Hirst (Ripponden and District).

He became the secretary of the bus crew social canteen at Lower Mosley Street bus station and was introduced there to one-armed bandits. He had The Arcade at bottom of George St, Oldham in 1930s and went on to found a very successful gaming machine company - Urmston Automatics.

This biography is from David and Margaret Gartside. David remembers him as the sort of uncle that any boy would love to have, and he was his! He first did 100mph with him in his Jag 3.8 over the newly-opened Barton Flyover, now part of the M60. Great memories of him.

Photograph courtesy David and Margaret Gartside